Grains: Farro della Garfagnana (Emmer Wheat from Garfagnana) IGP
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Introduction
Here we continue our introduction of Italy's 155 Protected Designations of Origin (PDO, or, in Italian, DOP, Denominazione di Origine Protetta) and Protected Geographical Indications (PGI, or IGP in Italian, Indicazione Geografica Protetta) products.
This month we present a grain from Garfagnana, an area northwest of Tuscany, in the province of Lucca: the Wheat Berries from Garfagnana IGP. In times past, this product used to be a staple of the Mediterranean diet, and its flour was used to make polenta and buns. Then, new wheat varieties took over and the emmer wheat disappeared almost completely from the Italian fields, except in Garfagnana, where the cultivation of the local strain of farro has been grown all along.
Wheat Berries from Garfagnana (Tuscany)
Protected Designations of Origin: Reg. CE n.1263/96 (GUCE L. 163/96 del 02.07.1996)
Characteristics of the Product
In Garfagnana there are currently around 100 farms which grow emmer wheat of the Triticum Dicoccum Schrank variety, also known as grano vestito, or 'dressed grain'. Total yearly production is 200 metric tons and the fields take up about 100 to 110 hectares (247 to 272 acres).
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| Farro della Garfagnana IGP |
Wheat berries is the most ancient grain among those in use today, in fact it was already cultivated in Mesopotamia, Syria, Egypt and Palestine in the seventh century B. C. The variety grown in Garfagnana thrives on soil characterized by poor nutritional components, at elevations ranging from 300- to 1000-meters above sea level (around 900 to 3280 feet). The seeds of the local variety of Triticum Dicoccum are planted in Autumn on soil previously prepared for it.
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| Farro della Garfagnana IGP |
By law, the farro della Garfagnana IGP must be cultivated according to the local tradition dating back to centuries ago, which means absolutely no use of chemical fertilizers and/or weed killers. Consequently, the emmer wheat thus produced is in fact a totally organic product.
The harvest takes place in summer with the same threshing machinery used to harvest other varieties of wheat. During threshing, the sheaves of farro are detached from the stem, but the caryopses, or grains of wheat berries, remain enveloped in the glumes which enclose the grains tightly, thus the name 'dressed grain'. The maximum production allowed per hectare is 25 quintals of farro vestito.
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In order to be used, the farro must be freed from the glumes and part of the pericarp (botanical term for the tissue surrounding a seed that develops from the ovary wall of the flower) with a process called brillatura. Traditionally the brillatura was done with special grinding mills, while currently there is simpler equipment which is also easy to use and cost-effective enough to be adopted by relatively small farms. Depending on the method used, after the brillatura the farro amounts to 60%-70% of the initial weight.
Since the Garfagnana strain of Triticum Dicoccum has been reproduced locally and the farmers have cultivated it for centuries in the area, the plant is genetically fit for the local environment by now, including soil, climate and growing techniques. For these reasons the farro from Garfagnana has unique characteristics which make it substantially different from other types of emmer wheat produced elsewhere.
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| Farro della Garfagnana IGP soup. | |
How to use the Farro della Garfagnana IGP
The farro from Garfagnana IGP is once again an appreciated ingredients thanks to its excellent dietary characteristics and the beneficial effects that its fibers have over the digestive process.
It's a grain rich in starch, thus particularly suitable for salted pies, however it is more often used to prepare delicious soups. Paired with beans and vegetables for instance, it makes a simple soup with outstanding perfume and flavor. It's also excellent in cold salads and in the preparation of farrotto (risotto made with farro) with porcini mushrooms.
In addition, the grains can be ground and the flour thus obtained used to make pasta, bread and cookies. In any case, whatever the cooking method selected, the farro from Garfagnana IGP is excellent when paired with Sangiovese based Tuscan wines, from Chianti to Brunello and Super Tuscan blends.
The farro contains abundant vitamins A, B, C, and E, mineral salts, phosphorus, sodium, calcium, potassium and magnesium. Since its amino acid content is poor, it's often matched with legumes, which contain lots. Other substances contained in farro include proteins, polyunsaturated and essential fat, iron, manganese, copper, cobalt, selenium and phytic acid. These compounds makes it a powerful anti oxidant.
- Production Zone:
Garfagnana, in the province of Lucca, in the northwest of Tuscany. - Producers' Organization:
Consorzio Produttori Farro della Garfagnana
Via La Torre Pio
55035 Castelnuovo Garfagnana (LU)
Tel.: (+39) 0583/65189
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